


Her Memories of Him

by Kanae



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Aikoto Week 2020, Day 1, F/M, prompt: memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:47:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25150372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kanae/pseuds/Kanae
Summary: As they gather their resolve to face Erebus, Aigis looks back to a quiet moment she shared with Him.“Leader, what did you wish for?”[Inspired by the official side-story Memories of Him.]
Relationships: Aigis/Arisato Minato, Aigis/Persona 3 Protagonist, Aigis/Yuuki Makoto (Persona Series)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 26
Collections: Makoto/Minato & Aigis Week





	Her Memories of Him

**Author's Note:**

> This is meant to take place during the official side-story Memories of Him, which focuses on SEES sharing their memories of Leader with each other. As such, there are references to the comments SEES make about him in the story. For those who might like to read it, I translated most of it [HERE](https://theoneprecioustome.tumblr.com/post/617123638675734528/memories-of-him-eng).

_._

_._

_._

**_Her Memories of Him_ **

**_-_ **

“What about you, Aigis?”

“Eh?”

Yukari is looking at her with an encouraging smile. “You must have something you’d like to share too, right?”

Junpei perks up. “Yuka-tan’s right! We’re doing the rounds here but you seem kind of quiet, Ai-chan.”

“It’s all right if you'd rather not, Aigis,” Fuuka reassures her, eyes brimming with understanding.

Mitsuru nods in agreement. “But if you do, we’re here to listen.”

“Everyone…” touched by her friends’ support, Aigis lets her eyes flutter closed.

 _—_ _A memory of him…_

It feels like that is all she is made of. All of her circuits are charged with memories of him. The light furrowing of his brows, the modest quirk of his lips, the warmth of his voice, the beating of his heart.

Her memory is built of a thousand fragments of him. How can she possibly choose just one?

A hand comes to her ribbon, fingers ghosting over the Papillon Heart lying underneath. She thinks back to his shy smile, to the reassuring certainty in his eyes; to the tender strength in his hold as he touched her heart and marked her forever, irrevocably.

But she knows that is a memory that belongs only to her. To them.

So, Aigis gently lets it go and looks through her records. Searches. Until…

“Yes, I do have one.”

Aigis meets her friends’ supportive gazes one by one, before allowing her memory to replay the images of that day.

The night of January 1st.

— _It’s so strange… it feels like it was only yesterday, and yet…_

* * *

She found him in the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand, seemingly lost in thought. He hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights, and something about his demeanor made Aigis feel unexplainably lonely.

Without thinking, she turned the lights on with a flick of her finger. He turned to her; eyes wide.

“Aigis…”

“My apologies Leader, I didn’t mean to startle you. Should I turn them off?”

“No, it’s okay,” he gave her a small smile, looking a little more at ease. Encouraged, Aigis quietly came to stand by his side as he shifted his stare back to the window.

Aigis followed his gaze, but there was nothing to discern outside. Nothing aside from the waning moon. “Is there something on your mind, Leader?”

He shook his head lightly. The smile was still on his lips, but his eyes betrayed him. Aigis tilted her head to the side, that look making an odd ache grow in her heart. Before she could prod further, he had turned to her and his expression softened, “You’re still wearing the yukata.”

Aigis blinked and then looked down at herself, having almost forgotten everything about the pink garment. “Yes. I’m not used to such clothing, but it seemed to raise Junpei-san’s spirits, so I decided to wear it for a little longer.”

He chuckled, “It does suit you.”

Aigis’s heart grew warm in ways she couldn’t explain, and she found herself looking at her hands. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

A comfortable silence settled between them. However, it wasn’t long before something occurred to Aigis.

“Leader, what did you wish for?”

“Eh?”

“This morning, at the shrine,” she explained, making no attempt to conceal her curiosity. “Yukari-san, Fuuka-san and Mitsuru-san shared their wishes, but you did not share yours.”

Understanding dawned in on his eyes, and he took the glass to his lips before quipping, “Wishes don’t come true if you say them aloud. Or at least, that’s what people say.”

Aigis blinked, intrigued. She was not aware of that particular rule. “Do you believe that is the case?”

He shrugged, noncommittal. “I don’t know. What did you wish for, Aigis?”

Despite his earlier words, Aigis found herself answering without hesitation.

“For us to be victorious. And for you to be safe, always.”

He looked at her fully, then. Aigis searched his eyes, but she couldn’t tell whether the look aimed at her was one of surprise or of wonderment.

Before she could decide, the look was gone.

“I think you’re usually supposed to make only one wish, Aigis,” he said good-naturedly, a broad smile spreading across his face.

“Oh. Should I have made a second offering?”

“I… don’t think that’s how it works.”

He sounded amused, and something in the way he stood as he looked back out of the window felt… _lighter_ , in a way she couldn’t quite put her finger on. She knew this not because of the relaxed line of his shoulders, but because her heart no longer ached as she looked at him. Instead, it felt so full that it was almost dizzying. The feeling elated her, yet she found it puzzling.

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she was taken aback when she heard his voice.

“For you all to be safe and happy."

Aigis turned towards him, but he only met her stare from the corner of his eye. “That’s what I wished for.”

“Leader…” she whispered, touched by his sincerity. Instinctively, she reached out to place a reassuring hand on his, a wide smile taking to her lips. “We shall be. Not only us, but you as well. I will make sure of that. You’re what’s most precious to me, after all.”

_‘You’re what’s most precious to me.’_

Words she had told him tirelessly since they reunited on that pier. Now that she had understood the origin of those feelings, however, the words left a peculiar taste on her mouth.

Aigis stored that observation for later, and took him in instead. He looked down at their hands, lips setting into a soft smile.

“Thanks, Aigis,” he muttered, voice fond.

“Anytime.”

She allowed herself to bask in his presence for a moment longer. Then, she bid him goodnight and made it to leave, wanting to respect his need for solitude.

She had given no more than five steps when he called out to her.

“Aigis…”

“Yes, Leader?”

“Have you thought of what you’d like to do? When all this is over, I mean.”

Aigis found herself flabbergasted by the unexpected question. “I… I can’t say I have. There are… many things about myself I don’t quite understand yet.”

He nodded, understanding. “Take it slow, Aigis. Whatever you decide… I’ll be there for you.”

Something about the kindness in his voice, about the warmth in his gaze and the tender curve of his lips, made Aigis feel bashful. Still, it is with genuine joy that she returns his smile.

“Yes. Thank you!”

“Night, Aigis.”

“Good night, Leader.”

* * *

When Aigis comes back to herself, she finds all of her friends looking intently at her with both sadness and warmth in their eyes. She recognizes that look well. It is most likely the very same she is sporting then, as she tears herself away from her memories of him, heart throbbing with longing for fleeting moments that are long gone.

Yukari is the one to break the silence, her laughter a welcome reprieve. “Yeeeep. Like I said, you _definitely_ were the one closest to him.”

Akihiko chuckles as well. “That guy really did his best to seem unfazed by everything, huh. But I guess there were times when even he could do nothing but put up a strong front.”

“To be honest, sometimes I worried about Leader,” Fuuka admits, smiling sadly. “He always tried to do everything on his own and I feared he might feel a little lonely... but it seems there was nothing to worry about. ”

Fuuka looks at Aigis, then. Her face brightens. “We’re here for you, Aigis. Just like you were there for him. Please, never forget that."

“Yamagishi is right, Aigis. And if you ever do forget… I suppose we’ll just have to make sure to remind you,” Mitsuru is smiling confidently. Soon, all of her friends are doing the same.

As she looks at them, Aigis feels her heart fill with gratitude.

It won’t be easy, living without him.

But… with her friends by her side, and her memories of him in her heart, Aigis is sure she will be able to go on.

After all, as long as she remembers him… he will never truly leave her.

Aigis softly wraps her hands around the ribbon on her chest. She made him so many promises, some of which she may never be able to keep.

But she is certain there is one she will never, ever break.

— _I will remember you always… until my life is exhausted._

**End**

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 1st Day of #AikotoWeek20, to the prompt "Memories". Hope to see you there!


End file.
